one year in, was it an escape or did I learn something? :-)
For the past one year, I have intentionally travelled every other two months. Mainly for work, but also going on vacations. I have spent tons of money on experiences, and on (not so-little) trinkets. I have explored, watched the sunset in different cities. I have enjoyed the ocean, in so many angles. I sat by the water, watching the waves rise and fall. I have revelled in the calmness and I have heard the slow hum in company. I have indulged in the history, not so much on the food. Cuisines and I, don’t truly mix.
I have enjoyed the first class experience and been on a 15-hour long haul economy flight. I have switched airlines, bacause loyalty is not exactly my forte. I have learnt how to plan, and let my body go with the flow. I have had jetlag hit me at the worst of times. I have had visas denied - I am African at the end of the day! And I have carried lessons along the way. And as someone who loves recaps, let me do a year in travel, musings on my whimsical side and solo expeditions.
My next planned travel will be the first time I tag along with someone, with whom our travel will be intertwined, so let me recap my solo adventures.
My most expensive hobby….
I love walking, and my first discovery on travelling was basically doing things you love in a different country, environment and experience. Sydney was the first walkable city I visited. And other than the occasional train, bus or ferry, I spent time with my boots on the ground. I arrived early in the morning and my brain told me the best thing to do is take a train from the airport. That was the genesis of my walking. Imagine at 9 am in the morning trying to figure out which path to take to your hotel. P.S. it was right in front of me.
First, it started with a walk looking for lunch, a walk around the harbour. And I figured, maybe I can go to Sydney Harbour. Or walk to the conference center. Do I actually need to get transport? That was all that was in my head as I walked all around Sydney. Then after taking a ferry to Manly and deciding to walk around the beach. Next on coming back and walking across the bridge. Later, finding myself in a hidden park and doing some exploration there. At night, walking across the Chapel, for the Christmas celebrations and back to my hotel room. Even the next day, I took a walk to the Opera House, Botanical Gardens, the parks, you name it. I was having a blast!
Nurtured by nature
One thing I miss when back in Kenya is finding random close by parks. To just walk around and chill. So when I saw the park in Bangalore, I had never been happier. Taking walks is amazing, but going on hikes, watching the sunset or sunrise at the mountain top. A story of a thousand words. And in Kigali, the city was a hike on its own. I found the zoo in Sydney, and a park full of roses. The backdrop of the Kigali genocide was a rose farm I could not get enough of. The beauty of a butterfly farm in Bali. Oh take me back to those beautiful creatures!
Public transport, in the cities I could.
Whenever I travel solo, I am wary of many things. I am black, and female. However, as a group, I enjoy the metro. I love taking trains. I love a working public system, even though I am wonky with directions and would probably board the wrong train. In Johannesburg, the closest I came to public transport was the Red Bus. I know it does not count but imagine being with a group of people mesmerised by the sights and sounds of a city you might never come back to.
In another life, I will be a water bender
In the spirit of finding me and navigating. I enjoy the shore. The waves of the ocean. The waterfalls or just a stream of water. And I have been blessed to see the Indian Ocean, and all its glory from all sides. From Mombasa to Chennai to Mumbai. I could hear the ocean call to me. On a funky boat ride to Nusa Penida or Robben Island. I found my home.
Wherever you go, there you are
Sometimes in my head I think of Africa as a village. I share the same sentiments with Nelson Mandela and Kwame Nkrumah. I see their vision of globalization but also of being together. I have learnt a lot from history as I do in the present. The vision of our forefathers, even in Malaysia have taught me the one-ness of the world.
Navigating maladies
For the past 4 months of travels, it seems like my time of the month always arrives. Finds me on a flight or even just as I have landed in my hotel room. There is nothing that teaches one resillience more than being in a foreign country and in unsurmountable amount of pain. When in the immigration line and you just want to fall apart. I have learnt in more that one way to rest and relax. When jetlag hits me hours before my presentation, learning to brace myself and prepare for what lies ahead.
Comfort and sanity
In one of my travel journals, I penned down, “It feels like I keep tempting God in my airport ways.” I was always in a hurry. Always anxious. I was the traveller who would have missed my flight but got grace. And then I slowed down. I became calm. And did some of the best things that define my travels. It started with a reusable packing list. Jotted down in my notes. All the things I should carry. And my pre-travel notes. Then next came finding apps and ways to ease my travel. The discovery that my visa card could allow me free access to lounges across the world. The finding of GetYourGuide to simplify my trips and meet up with fellow travellers. The connections across the world to help me and guide me on my way!
The devil is in the detail, and my shoulders apparently
If I had a penny for the number of times I booked the wrong hotel room or misplaced my timings, I would have 5. Not many, but I doubt in a single year of travel they should be that much. With time, I have learnt to be gentle with myself. My adhd might make me miss the details, but I can explore the world nonetheless. And at the end of the day, everything will be alright.
In the chaos, chase whimsy
As I walked down Sydney. As I walked up the hills in Kigali. As I explored a village in Bali. As I learned about the history of Ghana. I let myself be in the moment. I let myself out of my comfort zone. I let myself explore and try new things. I let myself be alone in a basketball match where I barely knew the rules. I let my mind and feet wander across Kuala Lumpur.
I let my emotions guide me. I let my fears subside as I walked around the beach. I let my soul wander as I viewed Chennai from the Lighthouse. I let myself mesmerised in the sunset on top of table mountain, with a very dying phone. I took a lot of photos, but couldn’t let myself post, because the whimsy would depart. The fairy-taleness of the experience would fade.
I like to imagine myself, back in Sydney, when the city embraced me and I thought I found a home far away from home. And hide the sacredness of the experiences in my journals, in my photo albums.
A year later..
I always go back home, because wherever you go there you are. In the midst of everything, I find myself going back to me! And although travel still lies in my plans this year, they will be greatly reduced. As I find myself where I am.